Rainer Maria Rilke Biography
Poet, Novelist and Writer, Famous for Letters to a Young Poet
Nov 16, 2008
Rainer Maria Rilke was an outstanding lyric poet and one of the most important figures in modern German literature. He belonged to the symbolist movement that used images to represent what a person felt or thought.
Early Life of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rilke was born on December 4, 1875, in Prague, at that time a part of the Austrian Empire, and now the capital of Czech Republic. He was sent to a military academy, but this was apparently not his interest. He left to study art history in Germany. He was shy and not a sociable young man, so he did not make friends easily. In times of social difficulties, his response was to stay away.
The Wanderer: European Travels
Rilke became a constant wanderer through Europe. He made two journeys to Russia where he met Leo Tolstoy and Boris Pasternak. He was deeply impressed by what he learned of Russian religion. However, he settled in Paris where he became secretary to the sculptor Auguste Rodin, and in 1901 he married one of the pupils of Rodin.
Writing Style
Rilke's work was highly influenced by his education and classic authors. Ancient gods Apollo, Hermes and Orpheus are found in his poems according to his lyrical interpretations. He also represented his work with metaphors.
Prose and Poetry
Rilke consecrated his life to poetry. His first book of poems, Life and Songs, was published when he was 19. His earliest poems were about nature and traditional religion. Later, these simple themes were left behind as his poems became increasingly mystical, and poems became things to him, particularly the sacred ones. Between the ages of 30 and 40, he produced some of his finest poetry and the important prose, The Tale of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke. He also wrote the book Journal of My other Self, which is the story of an imaginary poet. Rilke's two masterpieces are verse sequences, Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies, written shortly before his premature death from blood poisoning.
Rilke's Influence
His influence has been far and wide – his work is often quoted and celebrated by literary greats, including in music, films and television.
Rilke died on December 29, 1926 at the age of 51, in Montreux, Switzerland. He chose his own epitaph:
"Rose, oh the pure contradiction, delight,
of being no-one's sleep under so many lids."
Works by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Life and Songs, 1894
- Stories of God, 1900
- The Book of Hours, 1905
- The Tale of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke, 1905
- New Poems, 1907
- The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge, 1910
- Journal of My Other Self, 1910
- Sonnets to Orpheus, 1923
- Duino Elegies, 1923
- Where Silence Reigns, 1978 (Published after his death)
Sources:
Illustrated Biographical Dictionary edited by John Clark. London: Chancellor Press, 1994
Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring. Larousse, 1994
The A-Z of Great Writers, by Tom Payne. Carlton Book, 1997
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